Once you figure out the kinds of sales team you need and how to compensation them to higher performance, you’ll need to ensure you arm them with the resources they’ll need to succeed.

First is sales collateral – those print and digital pieces that can help the sales process along. That said, I’ve never seen or heard of any sales collateral that sells all by itself. Create sales collateral that support the sales process. The principle of “less is more” applies here. And makes sure that your sales collateral looks professional and not like it was put together on the cheap.

Then there’s sales training. This isn’t the place for determining what kinds of sales training your burgeoning team of one to more sales people. What I can tell you is that the right balance of sales training and coaching on a regular & consistent basis is worth the investment. Most small businesses provide little to none sales training except perhaps for some training at the beginning of their employment.

Sales training is like physical exercise. It should be challenging and slow build sales “muscle” – those skills that become part of their sales behaviors after a period of training and reinforcement.

Sales coaching is another support mechanism that’s necessary for a bare-bones but effective sales organization. The challenge is that most small business owners don’t often have the sales background that would enable them to provide sales coaching. What to do? If you don’t have a sales management background here are three key points to cover in each of your individual sales coaching sessions:

How close are they to meeting their current sales goals? If not close, why and what can be done to improve performance? If they are on track, what are they doing right?

What are prospects & customers saying about our products and services? This is a good time to take the “pulse” on what the street is doing or saying about the kinds of products and/or services your provide.

Set goals for the next session. Success is incremental and so is the progress needed to get there.

Sales professional need regular & consistent support in the field. Make sure you are able to provide it before you commit to building a sales force.

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